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Machel Montano’s ‘Like Ah Boss’ Documentary, 11 Years In the Making.
Machel Montano’s dedication and undeniable work ethic are the core character traits many will have the chance to see, in the documentary, ‘Like Ah Boss’. The man, who, for over four decades, has worn the crown of King of Soca, says beyond 2026, he plans on shifting his focus to other aspects of music and life, which he knows is necessary at this time. The documentation of his 45- year career in Soca music, took his team 11 years to complete and still, Machel says, there are things that have been left out – things he will eventually include in a subsequent documentary.
In a brief Q&A following the screening on February 10th at Movie Town, Port-of-Spain, Machel said it has not been easy. “This was quite a challenge for us. It took us 11 years to do this and it’s just part of the story. This isn’t even the whole story. This is just what we could’ve done.” The 11- time Road March King added, “It was just like, wanting to share everything with everybody. We have a love, everybody you see on that screen is a love,” said Montano, as he highlighted the dedication of some of his closest team members – one of whom is Soul, who has been at his side since 1986. “That film was really putting out everything that we see, hear and feel – the only thing you couldn’t do was smell or taste, but you could feel it. For me, I was really proud of what they put together,” he said.
Describing seeing the final version of the documentary as a magical experience, Machel told the audience that throughout the process, he made every effort to facilitate whatever was needed by the crew, admitting that it was all he could do amid his extraordinarily busy life.
THE YEAR 2015 WAS PIVOTAL
‘Like Ah Boss‘ was shot primarily in the year 2015. It was a significant turning point for him – a year he had committed to refocusing his attention and removing himself from the International Soca Monarch competition. Machel had vowed to go out ‘Like Ah Boss,’ and that he did, winning the title and going on to perform at several fetes in the aftermath of his crowning moment.
PHOTO: ANIL MATHI
Manager, Che Kothari, in analyzing his experience with Machel over the years, said, “It’s quite ridiculous watching him. We live it everyday. We’re going through it again in this season – back to back to back to back – right after this, we go straight to another show. To document that and to show people the power that you have within – when you have a message and you want to share that with the world and you relentlessly work towards that, that’s something that I’m inspired to shoot,” he said.
Kothari was a professional photographer when he met Machel in 2014 and according to the entertainer, Che’s arrival into his life was the equivalent of answered prayer. He said during one of his moments of vulnerability, in an apartment in the US, having experienced setback, he wrote in his journal the type of person he needed to be his manager and that person proved to be Che Kothari. “We are living in, and creating history and it’s a real honor to be beside this man and to be able to support that,” said Che.
EXPERIENCING DOUBT, FACING CHALLENGES.
“I’m going through some tough times right now, trying to reach the top of the mountain,” said Machel quite frankly, when asked whether he has experienced doubt over the years. “It’s all through the documentary,” he said, noting that as it pertains to the documentary, there was doubt as to whether the film was good enough. “We still don’t think it’s at the quality for us to get it to Netflix because it’s so much old footage that we can’t really get it to look better, to be cleaner. I am the procrastinating perfectionist. This is the first one. There will be another. There’s the Machel Montano book and we’re already working on the next version,” he said, noting that 2025 into 2026 has been a period of tremendous challenge for him. “There is a part of this story that we didn’t tell that is actually very actively happening between 2025 into 2026 and that is probably one of the biggest challenges of my life and that will be told as soon as we finish carnival and hopefully by next year we’ll be able to tell that part of the story,” said Montano.
Machel says there is always doubt. “We are always positively dissatisfied,” he admitted, saying despite the team’s feelings, he hopes everyone will enjoy what has been created for his fans and Soca music lovers around the world.
A NEW DAY IS COMING.
PHOTO : DEVIN ALLEN
A career that some have compared to that of International superstar, Michael Jackson, complete with highs, lows, celebrations and spectacles, Machel Montano says he has learnt and grown a lot over the years. “It’s fun to walk into your closet and put on something different, pretend to be somebody, role play but over the years, through all of that, I have realized that I really should be doing the opposite. Instead of putting on things, I should be taking things off,” he said, going on to explain that he has recently learnt that going inward, is the fastest way out.
Now, the entertainer says he has reached a point where he gets it, and he has nothing more to prove. “I have seen it all, done it all and I have it all, and when you have seen it all, done it all and have it all, you look up and you want to do what is needed.”
As to what is needed at this time, the artiste who recently acquired his Master’s Degree in Carnival Studies, said what is needed is for the children of his country, Trinidad and Tobago to be higher educated, “and not be fully dunce.” He went on to say that the country must also understand that oil and gas is not the richest resource. “It’s the people. It’s the talent. I am about to take that journey,” he said, referring to his plans to ensure that these needs are realized.
‘Like Ah Boss’ hits movie theaters in Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana on February 12th.
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Stevie Wonder Joins KestheBand On Stage at DC Jazz Fest – A Big Moment for Caribbean Culture.
Internationally loved and embraced Soca band, KesTheBand delivered yet another unforgettable moment for Caribbean music last Saturday, September 5th – this time at the DC Jazz Festival. It was there, in the midst of the enjoyment that a special opportunity presented itself – Kees Dieffentaller would meet the global music icon, Stevie Wonder.
The surprise appearance marked a continuation of a weekend that placed KestheBand and Caribbean music at the center of some of the most significant cultural moments of Labour Day weekend. The set included an uptempo lyrical mashup of “I Just Called To Say I Love You” and “Savannah Grass,” which received thunderous applause from adoring fans.
Crediting his parents in an emotional social media post following their debut at DC Jazz Fest, lead singer, Kees Dieffenthaller shared that the Stevie Wonder hit “was the first record I had on repeat as a child.” The moment was a powerful one as Soca music and a Trinidad and Tobago band that dedicatedly promotes the genre along with their country, came face to face with one of the most influential global artistes in music history.
Just one night earlier, on Friday, September 4th, KesTheBand electrified Soca Fest at Brooklyn museum in New York, where the band was introduced by Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani. The appearance brought together Caribbean music, culture and community in one of New York’s most prominent Labor Day weekend celebrations and venues.
Kees went on to serve as an Honorary Grand Marshal of the West Indian Day Parade. The honor was shared with dancehall and reggae superstar, Buju Banton.
Kes the Band with New York City Mayor, Zohran Kwame Mamdani
Ebuzz News
A Band That’s Building Legacy for Culture. Blow Mano Blow Promises Memorable Carnival 2027 with Tribute to The Birdie.
Amid a chorus of consistent calls across the length and breath of the country for more creativity and commitment to cultural preservation in Carnival in Trinidad and Tobago, one band continues to answer the call. Bert and Dianne Marcellin’s ‘Blow Mano Blow’ have once again stepped up to the cultural plate, prepared to remind the world, through mas, of the contributions made by a true stalwart of Trinidad and Tobago’s carnival and culture.
Though born in Grenada, The Mighty Sparrow was raised in Trinidad and Tobago from a young age. His achievements over decades at the forefront of Calypso music, have been plenty. World- over The Mighty Sparrow is known as The Calypso King of the World. Now, ahead of another Carnival in Trinidad and Tobago in 2027, ‘Blow Mano Blow’ – an all-inclusive, Carnival Monday T-Shirt band, is set to revel with five well thought-out sections that were revealed this past Saturday night, in Port-of-Spain. The theme is for 2027 is ‘To Birdie with Love.’
The band launch, hosted at the Garden Theatre of the Queen’s Hall in St. Ann’s, saw band faithfuls and friends gather to view and choose the sections they’d be hitting the streets in, come Monday, February 8th, 2027. A well-produced theatrical showcase unfolded just after 10pm – marking the start of what would be a band launch filled with much humour and excitement. From ‘Happy School Days’ to ‘Congo Man,’ ‘Marajhin,’ ‘Margarita’ and ‘Jean and Dinah,’ the songs that have brought great laughter and joy to Calypso lovers around the world for many years, now becomes tangible expressions for the road in T&T Carnival 2027.
On launch night, Bert Marcellin said he was pleased to continue the work that his father, Mano Marcellin began many years ago. With his father’s dedication at the core of Bert’s determination to keep culture alive, the younger Marcellin paid it forward on Saturday night.
Presenting a young, female musician with a gift from the the band, he shared that his father believed musicians were lovers. “Tonight we are paying tribute to Sparrow but we also need to pass the baton on. My dad used to say, musicians are lovers, not fighters so all the folks who have kids, get them to pick up an instrument and get into music; Do something positive,” said Bert, explaining that music is a recipe for stress relief. The owner of Brass 2 the World, the brass band that accompanies his mas band on the road on Carnival Monday, Bert advocates for creatives in a strong way. “Music is enjoyment, it’s an occupation and it makes people happy,” he said, before presenting Tiquana Joseph with an instrument, courtesy Brass 2 The World. “Tiquana started her music career. She is in the Trinidad and Tobago cadets and she just started her theory. She is reading music and we want to give her a start,” he said before presenting the young lady with her very own trombone.
The band is all-inclusive and presents an alternative option that’s reasonably priced, safe and at its core – an ode to Trinidad and Tobago’s culture. In 2026, Blow Mano Blow will be joined in partnership with Sweet 100FM. The radio station presents Jean and Dinah for the road. Over the years, Blow Mano Blow has paid tribute to several well known and well loved legends, among them, Calypso Rose and Lord Kitchener.
Fun, culturally sound and welcoming to every true fan of Trinidad and Tobago’s Greatest Show on Earth, Bert and Dianne Marcellin’s Blow Mano Blow is expected to once again offer patrons an amazing time on the road on Carnival Monday. Live instrumental accompaniment courtesy Brass 2 The World, with Snakey and Sanelle Dempster, food, drinks and a costume that pays homage – what more could a real culture lover want? On Saturday night, patrons got a taste of what’s to come on the road come 2027. The band delivered powerfully, Sanelle proving that she is still the woman who can command any audience. Also appearing as a guest at the event was Ding Dong who made the crowd feel every bit of excitement for yet another carnival on the way.
The energy of the season of revelry in T&T may be months away, but for die hard carnival lovers, this taste of what’s to come was incentive enough to go secure their costumes with Blow Mano Blow. In the audience, one patron could be heard discussing her choice for the road – “I like Congo Man,” she told her friend excitedly. “That is what we going with eh!”
No matter which section’s chosen, one thing’s for sure, Blow Mano Blow will deliver yet again, with the people in mind, on Carnival Monday next year.
For more information on how you can play with Blow Mano Blow, follow them on Facebook.